Kalijah!!

The evening was a lot of fun! There was a lot of dancing and laughing and strange dances.

Festivities for my niece's wedding began a couple of weeks ago with mint making, program cutting and finishing. We have such an awesome family, the guys didn't complain, they just jumped right in and helped with everything!

We enjoyed supper following all of the work. There were horrific storms going on, but we felt pretty safe and had a good time.

Today, we went to help decorate the reception hall and I took the stole that I knit for C. I'm really happy with it, it came out quite lovely.

The decorations are simple, but will be quite pretty. Despite complicated family situations, we're looking forward to enjoying a respite and just having some fun.

21 years ago today.18 years ago tomorrow at 2:39 am.

I am blessed!!

Last night we took part in one of the things that I love about Iowa, the county fair parade. We were walking for our favorite candidate www.adamvandall.com. The closer we got to town, the darker the clouds were getting and we were seeing lightening. Ever the optimist, we parked and headed for our spot in the parade.
We had a good group walking with us. My mom is in the middle!

We were visited by Ronald McDonald. He's a great guy!!



The rain held off and we were able to take part in the parade. The crowd wasn't as big as most years, but I'm sure those threatening clouds kept quite a few people at home.Kim Schmett, our candidate for the federal legislature was also walking.
We were also celebrating the 2nd anniversary of when Adam and E were introduced (by me--I asked her to walk for him, she agreed, and the rest is history!!). He couldn't remember her name, and since we were so hot and kept discussing ice cream and her love of the confection, he kept calling her the "ice cream girl". In just the last few months, they've become quite serious--well, the relationship is serious, they are anything but!!
After the parade, Adam and Em had their ice cream toast and then we were off to the fair. I got to see several people that I haven't seen in awhile and got to enjoy a black cherry snocone and a corndog!! It was a late night (after a long, electricity free day due to the storms on early Monday).

It's been a weekend of exhilaration and deep sadness.

The weekend began with the first night of our Republican State Convention. It was the first time that I had gone on Friday night and I was not sure what to expect. I had agreed to lobby for the slate of delegates, alternate delegates, nominating committee members and presidential elector (the person who goes to D.C. and actually votes in the electoral college).

Republican politics in the state of Iowa have been a bit contentious for awhile now, given that we no longer hold a majority in either the House or the Senate and we have a democrat in the governor's office. Many are them quite satisfied to continue with the status quo, many of us are not (myself included). Many of them are quite satisfied to compromise, not stir the pot, give them what they want because we might get something in return (HA! HA!), many of us are not! Many of them see the platform as just as bunch of guidelines, many of us see the platform as the statement of the grassroots that defines our beliefs, ideals, and political philosophy.

So, being very impressed with the hard work and dedication of Steve Scheffler and Kim Lehman, the ICA and the Iowa Right to Life, I agreed to help to pass the slate that many like-minded conservatives came up with. Mind you, these are not just "right-wing, radical, evangelical, conservative Christians", but they were a group of individuals from different backgrounds, they had supported different candidates, they are very conservative and believe in our platform, and they were highly qualified. We were able to get the entire slate passed!

On Saturday morning I lobbied for Steve and Kim for National Committeeman and National Committewoman. It made for an early morning, but I enjoyed it.

The convention was a bit unorganized. There were not enough seats for delegates in some counties and some counties didn't have any seats at all. They finally got that figured out and we were able to get into the meat of the convention. It wasn't as bad as it could have been, but it did get contentious occasionally. There was one particular rule that created a ruckus, we were told that it would. There was a near knock-down drag out over one of the at-large delegates for national convention which included what seemed to me to be a pretty personal smear against someone. I was later to find out that this person was someone who attended a private meeting with "less than honorable purposes".

So, after a long Friday night and Saturday night, I came home to what I hoped would be peace and quiet. Instead, my best friend called with a prayer request. The father of her ring bearer had died that afternoon in an ATV accident. She later called back to give me more details and we found out that hubby's first cousin was also involved in an ATV accident prior to the fatal one. He is currently in ICU and fighting for his life. His story is long and complicated and that truly complicates his current situation. Then I later found out that my pastor's son and his friend performed CPR on the man that died and that he died in my pastor's son's arms. It was a head injury, so it was pretty awful.

Sunday was spent enjoying my favorite candidate's (www.adamvandall.com) baptism! After the baptism we went over to our pastor's home for dinner to celebrate and spent most of the afternoon there. We had a wonderful time. It had been a long time since we'd spent time with Pastor and the family in a purely recreational way. It reminded me again why I love them all so!

I had a couple of hours in the afternoon, and the Adam and his girl came out to do some formal photos and just hang out. It was a beautiful evening to be out and liberty enjoyed the time!
Yesterday, my bestest buddy and I took a 3 1/2 hour trip to visit a dear friend who lost her 2nd baby in under 9 months. She was in Kentucky the first time and we were unable to do what friends do and this time, there was no stopping us!! It was a beautiful day and the trip went well. It was awesome to get to spend time with our friend, I had missed her so much! Please pray for their family as they seek God's wisdom in regards to the situation.

Today, I've slept!

Something that struck me tonight, though, that while I love summer, there are things about summer that I'm not so fond of. I really dislike summer tv. I like my shows. I like to watch repeats. They give me a sense of normalcy when summer doesn't feel normal. There are so many different things we do in the summer that we don't do the rest of the year and that throws me off sometimes. I'm not sure how to explain, but just let me say, I was glad NCIS was on this evening!!

Now, I'm off to get started on the other half of my niece's wedding stole.

My life continues to be somewhat of an emotional rollercoaster. Some have suggested peri-menopause, which is highly likely since my mom was the same age when she started into it. I have also had a couple of broken blood vessels in my hand in recent months, which could be linked to my thyroid, which has always been a possibility. Now, maybe they'll take me a bit more seriously.

Anyway, I took part in a meeting last night in gearing up for the Republican State Convention this weekend. It could be very interesting. It's interesting to note just how grassroots the effort to come up with our state platform has been. Many would argue that the platform is irrelevant. I would beg to differ. That's where the "little guy" gets to set some policy and tell their leadership what it is they expect out of them. When we held our caucuses in January, we had the largest turnout ever. The rooms for each of the precincts were overflowing. People were volunteering for the conventions, people were contributing planks for the platform. The enthusiasm continued at each convention. People want change, but it isn't the kind of change the Democrats are touting.

They want accountability, they want limited government, they want moral values upheld and championed. They are tired of compromise, of apologies, and of wishy-washy leadership. From the tiniest of precincts, they want something new, something better, something different.

It's time to give it to them!

Despite the roller coaster ride of emotions in the last couple of months (especially the last couple of weeks) our 4th of July was a fun day spent with friends and family, beautiful weather, and lots of love!!

The day began with our local parade. Our family marched for our favorite candidate, Adam Vandall. We had a great turnout for him this year, although the rest of the republicans went to Sully.














After the parade, we came home and had a quiet afternoon. The kids went to J's girlfriend's family get together and so I was able to spend some quiet time. I wavered between joy and tears, but I'm actually feeling much better today. I know that God is good. I know that He knows the pain I've been feeling. I know that I am loved. Who could ask for more!!

Mom, Pops, and Uncle came out for supper, as well as the kids returning home, and my best friend and her kids coming out. We had lots of good 4th of July food! Pops grilled up the burgers and hot dogs and we threw some other things together and ate ourselves silly! (Well, not me, I'm trying to get a handle on my appetites again!).

After that, we headed into the fireworks. We always sit at my best friends house, which is a little farther away than works well for pictures, but it's just about perfect in every other way. I tried out the "fireworks" setting on my new camera.

This morning dawned bright, cool, and absolutely perfect for a summer Saturday morning. Hubby went out to do chores and came back to tell me the local hot air balloon was up. It was the first time we'd seen it this year, so I went out to watch. There is something so calming and glorious about a hot air balloon rising over the summer countryside. Everything is so lush right now. It's my favorite time of summer. The greens are so intense. Everything just seems so alive.

Harry the llama and the sheep weren't too interested. They seemed to think they needed hay.
One more shot of the hot air balloon.
Some days I feel so blessed, I could just burst.

Psalm 103:1 (NIV)
¹ Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

Romans 12:15 (NIV)
¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.

Why is this so difficult for some people?

Woke up this morning not feeling so hot. A bit of time with a heating pad and some pain meds and I was good to go! I decided to dig into my livingroom and rearrange. Oh my goodness!!!!

We have a small livingroom, a giant desk, an extra chair for the dog and a "new" entertainment center that I love, but that takes up space, so.....rearranging is a bit of a trick!

We've worked all day and I ended up going through some stuff, moving some to the bedroom, and there are a couple of things I'm still not sure where they are going, but I do like it. Sometimes, just doing a bit of changing helps ones mood.

My niece is preparing for her August wedding and the aunts held a shower for her today. I gave her the bridal blessing bag that I had knit for her. It came out beautifully and I think she was genuinely touched by it's purpose. We had a fun time with family and friends. Unfortunately, a complicated family situation kept one aunt from attending. I can begin to go into specifics, but if you read this, please say a prayer. The situation is getting dire and we all need wisdom and strength.
My J and his friend, M, when we went out for pizza. The boys worked hard in the hog building today, trying to get all the junk on the bottom cleaned up before we get pigs, so we all got to go out for pizza.
My little Bubba, he just keeps getting bigger!! He was a big help today and is currently getting very sleepy in our easy chair.

This is how I spent my Saturday!! My beautiful niece, Baby I, came to spend the day while Mom and Dad worked for the Iowa Corn 250 at the Iowa Speedway. There is nothing so wonderful as holding a sleeping 2-month old!!
Big brother enjoyed playing the Wii. He's a fabulous bowler and bowled a 159. He's just turning 5 in a month!! Mom needs to sign him up for a league.
After her bottle, she was being silly. What a joy!!

Matthew 11:28 (NIV)
²⁸ "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

I wish that my sister-in-law would give herself over to the Lord. She is carrying a tremendous burden and refuses to lay the burden down. She needs the Lord, but, is instead, hanging on to a tiny little boy, hoping that he will bring her the salvation that her heart is so desperately longing for!

Isaiah 28:1-29 (NIV)
¹ Woe to that wreath, the pride of Ephraim's drunkards, to the fading flower, his glorious beauty, set on the head of a fertile valley-- to that city, the pride of those laid low by wine!
² See, the Lord has one who is powerful and strong. Like a hailstorm and a destructive wind, like a driving rain and a flooding downpour, he will throw it forcefully to the ground.
³ That wreath, the pride of Ephraim's drunkards, will be trampled underfoot.
⁴ That fading flower, his glorious beauty, set on the head of a fertile valley, will be like a fig ripe before harvest-- as soon as someone sees it and takes it in his hand, he swallows it.
⁵ In that day the LORD Almighty will be a glorious crown, a beautiful wreath for the remnant of his people.
⁶ He will be a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment, a source of strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.
⁷ And these also stagger from wine and reel from beer: Priests and prophets stagger from beer and are befuddled with wine; they reel from beer, they stagger when seeing visions, they stumble when rendering decisions.
⁸ All the tables are covered with vomit and there is not a spot without filth.
⁹ "Who is it he is trying to teach? To whom is he explaining his message? To children weaned from their milk, to those just taken from the breast?
¹⁰ For it is: Do and do, do and do, rule on rule, rule on rule; a little here, a little there."
¹¹ Very well then, with foreign lips and strange tongues God will speak to this people,
¹² to whom he said, "This is the resting place, let the weary rest"; and, "This is the place of repose"-- but they would not listen.
¹³ So then, the word of the LORD to them will become: Do and do, do and do, rule on rule, rule on rule; a little here, a little there-- so that they will go and fall backward, be injured and snared and captured.
¹⁴ Therefore hear the word of the LORD, you scoffers who rule this people in Jerusalem.
¹⁵ You boast, "We have entered into a covenant with death, with the grave we have made an agreement. When an overwhelming scourge sweeps by, it cannot touch us, for we have made a lie our refuge and falsehood our hiding place."
¹⁶ So this is what the Sovereign LORD says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed.
¹⁷ I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plumb line; hail will sweep away your refuge, the lie, and water will overflow your hiding place.
¹⁸ Your covenant with death will be annulled; your agreement with the grave will not stand. When the overwhelming scourge sweeps by, you will be beaten down by it.
¹⁹ As often as it comes it will carry you away; morning after morning, by day and by night, it will sweep through." The understanding of this message will bring sheer terror.
²⁰ The bed is too short to stretch out on, the blanket too narrow to wrap around you.
²¹ The LORD will rise up as he did at Mount Perazim, he will rouse himself as in the Valley of Gibeon-- to do his work, his strange work, and perform his task, his alien task.
²² Now stop your mocking, or your chains will become heavier; the Lord, the LORD Almighty, has told me of the destruction decreed against the whole land.
²³ Listen and hear my voice; pay attention and hear what I say.
²⁴ When a farmer plows for planting, does he plow continually? Does he keep on breaking up and harrowing the soil?
²⁵ When he has leveled the surface, does he not sow caraway and scatter cummin? Does he not plant wheat in its place, barley in its plot, and spelt in its field?
²⁶ His God instructs him and teaches him the right way.
²⁷ Caraway is not threshed with a sledge, nor is a cartwheel rolled over cummin; caraway is beaten out with a rod, and cummin with a stick.
²⁸ Grain must be ground to make bread; so one does not go on threshing it forever. Though he drives the wheels of his threshing cart over it, his horses do not grind it.
²⁹ All this also comes from the LORD Almighty, wonderful in counsel and magnificent in wisdom.

One of my favorite passages of Scripture.

The waters around parts of Iowa are beginning to recede, sadness and hardship remain. Many, many people are deeply affected by what has taken place.

2 Chronicles 7:14 (NIV)
¹⁴ if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

We live in a land filled with sin, immorality, pride, greed and unfortunately, Christians have sat back for far to long and just let it happen. We didn't want to step on toes, we didn't want to offend and now, here we sit. People are being led to believe that their sin is okay, they can do what they want, they don't have to answer to God or anyone else. Come, Lord Jesus, come!

Lord, we need boldness--boldness to come against sin, heresy, and the lies of the devil. We need repentance, to be on our faces before You. Lord, guide us, change us, mold us, makes us fully yours.

We had more rain last night! 2.3 inches. The basement flooded again, but went down quickly and only dumped the dog food, which, of course, went all over the basement! This morning was spent cleaning it all up. Our favorite 3-year-old came and spent the day (so mommy could get some work done) and he even put on some rubber boots and helped push the dog food into a pile.

Our state convention has been postponed until July 11 & 12 due to the flooding going on all over our state. It's gotten quite bad.

There is a spiritual battle going on! The chaff is being sifted from the wheat and ungodly motives and division are being exposed.

As situations that were once difficult continue to just become more complicated, more and more of Satan's tricks continue to be shown for what they are.

In our tiny homeschool group, someone has risen up to cause strife and division. She was called on it the other night. Her tactics, sweetness and light, divide and conquer, reach out to people, but don't reach out to others and then use that against people; go to those "higher up" and try to circumvent the leadership.

Then, a meeting last night to strategize about the upcoming Republican convention and I'm totally taken aback by what I have to hear about our state party. Shocked about what I hear regarding the McCain campaign's tactics.

People are walking away from true faith, from the simplicity of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, turning to man, tradition, idolatry. Sin is the root of all of it! Greed, pride, living by feelings, rather than the truth! The Lord has had me in 1 & 2 Peter and 1 & 2 Timothy. So much to be said for what is going on in my life and in the world in general.

2 Timothy 3:12-17 (NIV)

¹² In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.